Protecting the Chesapeake Watershed ith an increasing awareness of the environment and disastrous flooding in the news, families in the Piedmont are realizing they can have a positive impact on the health of their local streams and rivers by planting raingardens in their own landscapes. A special type of garden, the raingarden is designed to capture and hold the rainwater that runs off roofs and pavement until the water can be absorbed into the soil. Unlike a pond or wetland garden, the raingarden is designed to be wet for a few hours to a few days after a rainfall and then gradually return to its normal dry condition. Conventional landscapes channel water from impervious surfaces like roofs and pavement and send it directly into storm sewers and ultimately streams, carrying all sorts of pollutants with it. This can include dirt and sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, automobile oils and even bacteria from yard waste. Multiplied by many thousands of homes, these pollutants can have a significant detrimental impact on the quality of our streams and rivers here in the Piedmont. Ultimately, the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay is directly affected by the quality of the water we send downstream. A well-designed raingarden will absorb about 30% more water than a regular landscape. This can have multiple benefits for the quality of our streams Raingardens: By Gayle Shelden W What is a Raingarden? A raingarden is a shallow depression that is designed to capture rainwater from impervious surfaces like roofs and driveways and allow it to soak into the ground within a 24-48 hour period. Raingardens can have multiple benefits for the quality of streams, including pollution reduction. like reducing pollutants and decreasing flooding downstream. Rainwater that soaks into the ground can also help recharge local and regional aquifers. Raingardens can also be beautiful landscape features that provide food sources and habitat for birds and other wildlife. There are a few basic guidelines for designing a beautiful and effective raingarden. The best location will be an area of your landscape that is somewhere down slope from sources of runoff like downspouts and paving edges. They should not be located near basements, crawl spaces or septic system drain fields. It is important to place raingardens in areas that receive full to partial sun to help ensure good sterilization of the soil and plant health. Before deciding on a location for the raingarden, it is important to ensure the soil will filter water well as this is the main purpose of the garden. The shape of the garden can be almost anything that works in the overall design of your landscape, provided the square footage is adequate. The size will ultimately be determined by the dimensions of the area that will drain to your raingarden. This includes impervious surfaces like roofs and paving as well as pervious surfaces including lawns and gardens. The resources included in this piece will offer guidance on how to determine square footage requirements. Native plants are a great choice for planting your raingarden as many are naturally tolerant of both wet and dry conditions. They are also well-adapted to the local Raingardens continued on page 10 “I love my raingarden because It’s beautiful! I have become fascinated with ways to keep water percolating through the ground where it’s filtered and used by my lovely plants. When we allow runoff it dumps silt in the streams and causes erosion. Just think of the savings on our water bills if we can harness and use the water instead of having it fill up the ditches and sewers.” - Anne Harrison, raingarden owner in Culpeper 2013 • Issue 4 Piedmont Family Magazine 9